Cold/Wind Chill — Florence, Wisconsin

2009-01-24 · Florence, Wisconsin

Wider weather episode

Northwest winds between a departing cold front and an approaching high pressure system brought much colder air into the area. Low temperatures ranged from the single digits below zero from the Fox Valley east to Lake Michigan, to the teens below zero in north-central and parts of central Wisconsin. Wind chills across the area were mostly in the 20 below zero to 30 below zero range.

There were two fatalities due to hypothermia during the morning of the 24th. One occurred in De Pere (Brown Co.), where a resident of an assisted living center was discovered around 7:30 a.m. on a sidewalk outside the center where he lived. The Brown County medical examiner said that the man was dressed appropriately for the weather but had other medical problems. It is estimated that he was outside for about 5 hours. The temperature at Green Bay was as cold as 6 degrees below zero before the man's body was discovered.

Another fatality occurred in Florence County after a woman slipped on ice and injured her leg while walking home around 11:20 p.m. on the night of the 23rd. She then attempted to crawl the remaining distance to her home, more than 300 feet, but was overcome by the cold before she could reach the door. She was discovered around 9:30 a.m. on the 24th on the stairs next to the entrance to her home. Actual air temperatures in Florence County that morning were in the 9 below zero to 12 below zero range.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 151449. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.